Rick Perry (VIDEO) on the issues: On Romney, his tax plan and breaking up the “good ol’ boy corporate lobbyist mentality”

Fresh from an energizing run along the Guadalupe River in San Jose, Texas Gov. Rick Perry sat down with us Wednesday morning as he prepared to hit a pair of California fundraisers.
In a wide-ranging discussion with the San Francisco Chronicle, he talked about the “reboot” of his campaign, new attacks from Mitt Romney campaign — comparing him to Democrat Jerry Brown on immigration — and his views on issues ranging from offshore drilling to his message to high tech and whether he’s “anti-science.” We reported yesterday Perry’s explanation of a controversial speech that’s become a popular YouTube viral video.
Now here’s a lengthier report of our conversation with Rick Perry — in his own words — on the issues. But first, we offer a SFChronicle/SFGate.com Shaky Hand Production videocam look at a relaxed Perry talking about his “rebooted” campaign message:

Rick Perry in his own words on the issues —

*On former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his continued attacks on immigration: “It’s interesting — because he himself…signed legislation to make health care free for illegals in Massachusetts…It’s like a lot of other people who run for office. They say whatever they think their polls tell them they need to be saying to win. I mean, Mitt’s been on so many sides of so many different issues. And people know it. I mean, there’s a reason he’s stuck at 20-whatever-percent he is. And I don’t think he’s going to get above that. Because people look and they don’t necessarily trust that he’s going to be where he is today..on a host of issues.” *On whether he believes in human involvement in global warming: “I’m a skeptic. I happen to believe the science is not yet in… I think it’s healthy to have skeptical positions when it comes to things that can be so impactful in our lives…Should we be continuing to work with the federal clean air and clean water act that was passed in the early 70’s? Absolutely. And we’ve done that in Texas. In fact, we’ve cleaned our air and water up more than any other state in the nation during the decade when I was governor.”

* On his message to Silicon Valley regarding renewable energy: “I’m a big fan of alternate energy. You know what the number one wind-producing state in the nation is? That’s Texas. And we did it by state incentive. I completely agree that if California wants to put incentives in place to make alternative energy their focus, that’s their right — and I would never disagree with that. But I don’t believe that the federal government should be picking winners and losers in the energy industry….Now, R&D (research and development)? I would remove all tax credits, all subsidies for energy. But I would leave R&D in place. That’s how we find the new forms of energy.”

*On his energy policies, and whether he would approve of oil drilling off the California coast: “I’d leave that up to the people of California. Here’s my jobs and business development plan on the energy side. I would have the federal lands opened up. And obviously, there are places out there where we’re not going to drill. The Everglades, I mean, for cryin’ out loud. We understand there is some pristine places in America where we are not going to drill.
“But there’s 300 years of energy in this country that is provable reserves that we’re not using. And why we should be paying hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign countries to get their oil — (countries) that in a lot of cases are hostile to America.
“So it makes abundant sense to me: put Americans to work, safely and environmentally friendly. Drill for the oil in these cases or the shale…we have 25 percent of the coal in the world and we know we can burn the coal cleanly. Let’s use our research and development to do it in ways that are even more so.
“I would pull back all the regulations that have gone through since June of 2008, audit them, look at them and ask the questions: are they beneficial? Or are they just…have huge costs, which I think is what we’re going to find in most cases. And I would get back to having America be more independent in all of our energy sources. I think it makes sense.” *On critics suggestions that — as a skeptic of evolution — he is an “anti-science” candidate:“No, matter of fact, when you look at Texas under the decade of my leadership, you would find that’s where it’s really grown: bio-tech, medical tech, all of those. It’s pretty hardcore science, the best I can tell. ….as a matter of fact, I’ve been here..to sit with the dean of engineering and the dean of business at Stanford to talk to them about: “How did you create what you created here? And how can we do it in Austin?”
“Because there are some, myself included, who think there is.. room for another Silicon Valley, and the ideal place for it would be in Austin..with the University of Texas. And I think you’re seeing the leadership at that city and at that university headed in that direction.” *On his recent YouTube speech, a viral sensation:“The world’s changed in the sense of YouTube..and that’s cool. I get it. This isn’t my first rodeo, as they say back where I come from. *On what his presidential campaign represents:“The American people are not confused about what is on their minds. And it’s not whether some political operative takes a video and puts it up on YouTube.”
“They care about who’s going to get this country back working, who is it that has a track record and a focus and the courage to walk into Washington D.C., not tinker around the edges with a little tweezer but take a wrecking ball, a sledge-hammer – whatever it takes to break up the good-old-boy corporate lobbyist mentality that is putting this country’s future in jeopardy.”
“There’s 14 million Americans who don’t have a job today, and they’re looking around for somebody who has their interests, who understands what they’re going through. And I think I’m that person.”*On whether his flat tax would mostly benefit the wealthy: “You know what? The wealthy guys are the ones that create the jobs. I mean, my mother, when she worked at the cotton gin as the bookkeeper….it was the guy who had some money who was able to buy the gin that allowed my dad’s cotton to be ginned there, and my mom to have a job. You don’t have to have a PhD in economics to understand that you allow people to keep more of what they work for, they will risk their capital and creative jobs. I don’t have a problem with wealth creation. As a matter of fact, that’s what America is based upon.*On the “Occupy” movement: “ I think it again is a reflection of the failure of the federal government. (After) TARP and the stimulus… you’ve got Main Street mom and pop out there trying to keep their businesses open, and a lot of times they haven’t. And they’re looking around watching Washington bail out big businesses and going, what the heck is going on here?”
“That’s what is wrong with America. Look, this is a Democrat and Republican problem.*On the movement’s anger with the political “establishment”: “The establishment is not for me, because I don’t like the Establishment. I think the Establishment, Democrats and Republicans, have been part of the problem. We have some really great Republicans who have come along….(like Paul Ryan) who really get it when it comes to breaking down Washington DC.
“I think people are just sick of government. Sick of government telling them how to — and this is not just the fed government, but the state government.*On why he’s running:“I think Americans are looking for somebody to stand up and say, I’m not going to nibble around the edges. I don’t have a 59 point plan. I don’t have some gimmick. I know how to do this.
“And Washington D.C. establishment people will hate me with a passion, because we will deconstruct places like the EPA and rebuild it into an agency that is actually productive for this country.
“We see a lot of different things talked about and yapped about, but Americans are talking about: “Wwho’s going to get this economy going so I can have dignity for my family? And that’s why I’m running for president.”